TSA agent helps family get to Maine after they were booked to the wrong Portland
A TSA agent in Portland, Oregon, helped pay for a family to fly across the country after their travel agent booked them tickets to the wrong Portland
A Transportation Security Administration officer is earning praise after helping a family that arrived in the wrong Portland.The family was trying to get to Portland, Maine, but a travel agent accidentally booked them a flight to the Portland International Airport (PDX) in Oregon, instead of Maine’s Portland International Jetport (PWM).TSA officer Martin Rios was called to a checkpoint at the airport in Oregon to interpret for Spanish-speaking passengers. He learned the family had arrived the night before and spent the night in the terminal, confused. Rios walked them to the ticket counter and helped them get tickets across the country.”I guess I understood their situation, being in a foreign county and with the language not being able to communicate with anyone else and being thousands of miles away from where you’re supposed to be,” Rios told WMTW. “Martin is always quick to help out his team members,” said Supervisory TSA Officer Kaitlyn Arnold. “He has a very positive attitude and is always smiling. I know I can always count on Martin to be dedicated to the mission.”Rios also learned the family was low on finances, so he donated money to help pay for their tickets to Maine.“ is a go-getter and the fact that he chose to support these passengers in their time of need was no surprise to both his team and our leadership,” said Senior TSA Manager Jeremy Alanis. “Martin is, and has been since day one, a shining example of what it means to be a team player. the kind of officer and person any airport in the country would be proud to have as a member of their team.” “It might not have seemed like a lot to me but it was a difference for them,” Rios said. PDX awarded Rios the airport’s Make the Connection Quarterly Award in recognition of his customer service.
PORTLAND, Maine —
A Transportation Security Administration officer is earning praise after helping a family that arrived in the wrong Portland.
The family was trying to get to Portland, Maine, but a travel agent accidentally booked them a flight to the Portland International Airport (PDX) in Oregon, instead of Maine’s Portland International Jetport (PWM).
TSA officer Martin Rios was called to a checkpoint at the airport in Oregon to interpret for Spanish-speaking passengers. He learned the family had arrived the night before and spent the night in the terminal, confused. Rios walked them to the ticket counter and helped them get tickets across the country.
“I guess I understood their situation, being in a foreign county and with the language not being able to communicate with anyone else and being thousands of miles away from where you’re supposed to be,” Rios told WMTW.
“Martin is always quick to help out his team members,” said Supervisory TSA Officer Kaitlyn Arnold. “He has a very positive attitude and is always smiling. I know I can always count on Martin to be dedicated to the mission.”
Rios also learned the family was low on finances, so he donated money to help pay for their tickets to Maine.
“[Rios] is a go-getter and the fact that he chose to support these passengers in their time of need was no surprise to both his team and our leadership,” said Senior TSA Manager Jeremy Alanis. “Martin is, and has been since day one, a shining example of what it means to be a team player. [He’s] the kind of officer and person any airport in the country would be proud to have as a member of their team.”
“It might not have seemed like a lot to me but it was a difference for them,” Rios said.
PDX awarded Rios the airport’s Make the Connection Quarterly Award in recognition of his customer service.
